Barry Bonds, the home run king and alleged steroid user, may still have Major League baseball skills. But no team in either league has picked him up for this season, including my hometime Giants. It’s not his skills that are in question, though — it’s his demeanor. He’s had the reputation of being a difficult personality throughout his career, and that’s something that you can’t change in a day.
I got to watch Bonds try, however. On Saturday, I was at AT&T Park when Bonds made his first return to the stadium since he was let go by the Giants, to take part in a 50th anniversary celebration. He was met by a robust but hardly deafening cheer, and then took a cue from a few fans chanting his name to grab the microphone and say a few words to the crowd.
Bonds then hung around the park for a few innings, dropping by the broadcast booth, sitting in the stands with one of the team owners, and then making his way slowly out of the park, shaking hands and high-fiving with fans.
Why do I note these routine acts? Because in the 14 prior seasons watching Bonds as a Giant, I never saw him do ANY of these things. He was the surliest, most uncooperative, most distant and remote ballplayer you could imagine. He seemed to revel in this bad-boy image and he nurtured it. I always appreciated Bonds’ contribution to my team, and it was sure fun watching some of those great home runs, but he had the image of being a big pain-in-the-ass.
Now, however, he wants a job. He wants to play Major League baseball and no one will let him. So he rolled out the charm offensive, showing everyone his fun-loving, light-hearted side. It didn’t seem insincere, by the way. It seemed like he was finally showing the respect and humility he should have shown all along.
The problem was, it was too little, too late. I doubt his one-day PR effort will change the hearts and minds of baseball’s general managers and owners. They’ve been around the game too long and have seen far more of the other Bonds.
The lesson is this: you can’t start cultivating friends only when you need them. One of the most important parts of PR is stockpiling friends, so that when you need them, they are there for you. That was the point I was making a few days ago about the bullies in the PR department at Fox News. Just wait until ratings are down over there and you’ll likely start hearing about a similar charm offensive, and it will probably have the same results as Bonds’.
